Kingdom Hearts Online
by KeybladeChan
Summary: Oathkeeper and Aubade are one of many gamers in Australia who play the VRMMORPG known as Kingdom Hearts Online, or KHO. But when Oathkeeper's girlfriend commits an unforgivable crime, he must choose between his head and heart. Although the initial setting is similar to the beginning of SAO, the author promises not to trap the players in the game. Rated M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I took one more swing with my Keyblade and sliced through the small creature before it vanished into nothing. Funnily enough, the creature was known as a Shadow, a type of Heartless. It had a vaguely humanoid body structure with a round, spherical head and circular, glowing yellow eyes. It also had two long, twisted antennae sprouting out of the top of its head. Each of its hands had three clawed fingers, and its feet were large and with the exception of its eyes, its body was completely black.

The reason it came to being was because the Shadow was originally a person, but had lost their heart to the darkness as well as their human physique. However, this creature only existed in the world of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts Online, or KHO.

My friend Aubade and I had been a part of this world since the game was released to the public a week ago. We aimed to level up to a high standard by repeatedly clearing districts through out Traverse Town, the starting checkpoint in the game.

"Now that we've taken out all the Heartless in this district, we can move onto the Fourth one," Aubade scanned the area.

"What do you mean _we?_ " My 'Kingdom Key' Keyblade vanished from my hand, "There were about ten of them and you went off to find treasures in the district."

"Someone has to find them, otherwise they'll be left to players who don't know how to use them," He snapped.

A hue of red suddenly enveloped our surroundings, and we knew an announcement from a games master would be coming. "Good afternoon, Keyblade Wielders," An omniscient voice projected to them, "Our beloved game creator, Pazu Midori, is currently in a coma. He was murdered in the game and his mind was unable to log out for unknown reasons. If anyone has any knowledge of these events, please contact the game masters in the First District. Anyone is open to bringing the murderer to justice."

Then and there, I could feel something amiss, and it wasn't the crime. All players were allowed to log back into the game after an hour of having their health points dropped. I saw my best friend panic as he tried to stop the changes from happening — away from his online avatar and towards his true self. Tried to stop his face from turning so boyish, tried to stop his height descending from 6'2 to 5'7 and tried to stop the oncoming stocky figure that he was so insecure about. Now he looked like an 18-year-old boy named Hunter Boone in Squall Leonhart's clothes.

On the other hand, I grew taller and my body builder-like muscles were taken away from me. I transformed from a player named Oathkeeper, who had a Noctis Caelum avatar, to the real me, Colton White. My pale features were gone and were replaced with my tanned-skin from being Half-Filipino. My spiky hair was replaced with short, black curls.

"Apologies for breaching your privacy," the game creator spoke again, "but in order to capture the criminal faster, we must not use avatars to hide them. I have placed this quest in your Mission Archive. Good luck to everyone who chooses to to accept it."

The red hue disappeared, leaving me too stunned to move. A pop up screen lit up above the golden fountain of Lady and the Tramp. It showed an image and name of the criminal, and if I was sitting on a chair I would've fallen backwards. "Hey, Colt— I mean, Oathkeeper," Aubade saw my dismay and tapped my shoulder, "The reward is having our level increased by 100, be given a Moogle as a companion and real ¥46,000,00. I think that's roughly $50,000 Australian Dollars."

"That sounds incredible," I said half-heartedly, still eyeing the face on the screen.

"If you don't want to do the mission with me, I understand—"

"No," I shook my head and faced him. In every player's point of view, your stats were shown on the bottom right corner along with party members, exactly like any other Kingdom Hearts game, "I'll do it. Even if she ends up in jail."

Aubade nodded warily, then he said, "You know I don't like her. She cheated on you and you chose to stay with her."

"Then it should be easier for you to finish the job," I shrugged. It was pretentious, but it felt like the right thing to do. I tapped the air in front of me with two fingers and a pop-up menu appeared. I entered my messages and typed "Did you kill Pazu Midori?" to the username _Tori._

We walked over to the other side of the Third District and I held the 'Kingdom Key' up to the keyhole next to the giant door. It transported us back to the First District. There were players who frantically scanned the Victorian-age town for an unknown savior while others scurried to either capture the criminal or find a safe spot to log out. A majority of the players were from Japan and America.

"Someone help me please!"

"I don't want to be next!"

"Who will save us?"

"I'm never playing again!"

Despite the hustle and bustle, the town remained serene underneath its eternal night. They thought that Tori had the power to kill them in a neutral territory, but it's ironic how everyone had forgotten that the First District is where most survivors of the destroyed worlds can be found, therefore the safest place in Traverse Town.

And besides, my girlfriend was never much of a gamer. The reason why she started playing KHO was because she wanted to spend more time with me, but didn't want to get in the way of me having "man time" with Aubade. Today she was supposedly waiting for me to finish my daily escapade, at her house that she bought in the 4th District. That left Tori plenty of time to pick a fight with a game creator, but why?

Unfortunately, Aubade and I weren't here to stock up on items. We never had enough munny for the items we wanted and Aubade was good enough to fill up his slots with lots of healing spells. We headed over to the set of doors opposite us, passing the two lamp posts in the lower half of the district.

The doors led us into the Backstreets and a unit of Heartless ambushed us. There weren't any treasure chests in the area, so Aubade charged at a triplet of Soldiers with his 'Way to the Dawn' Keyblade and I turned to a duo of Large Body Heartless. "This is a piece of cake!" Aubade had already taken out two out of three Soldiers. One of the Large Bodies rushed me with its belly and I dodge rolled to beat him from behind. Within 2 combos, it blinked from existence in defeat.

"Colton, look out!"

I spun to find the other Large Body was almost finished with two arm-swings, and I tried to scramble away but it hit me with its Mow-Down Attack. Although it didn't physically hurt me, the game's system made my body react and cry out like a playable character did in any Kingdom Hearts game. "Oathkeeper, help me out here. Large Body is fucking annoying!" Aubade blocked the Heartless continuously.

I pushed myself to look at him, "Smack it from behind like it's your girlfriend!"

"Excepting it won't scream out in pleasure?"

"Yes!"

He flipped over the Heartless. " _Thundara!_ " Aubade held his Keyblade up, electrocuting the Large Body into oblivion. I got to my feet and walked over to him.

"You know you could have used _Thundara_ without getting behind it?" I smirked.

"Stuff you."

 **Author's note: Hi everyone, this is my first time posting on so yay! Please review and I will update in a few hours :)**

 **\- Chessa**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

We walked further into the Backstreets. "How many spells have you unlocked?" I asked Aubade while checking my inbox for a new message.

"The basics, but I haven't got things like _Thundaga_ , _Firaga_ or _Blizzaga_ ," He replied.

"Maybe they're not in Traverse Town?" I suggested.

"Maybe," Aubade nodded, "We'll find out once we level up to 20."

"I nominate you to build the Gummi Ship," I said quickly as we neared the sewerage. I hated the Gummi Ship mini games, so why would I want to build one with my bare hands?

We paced through the water in silence. I read on the Square Enix website that they weren't prepared to give players the features of Dream Eaters or Flowmotion, which made sense. There were plenty of Heartless out there and the game makers had given access to Radiant Garden two days ago. Besides, Dream Eaters and Flowmotion wasn't my thing, either.

Aubade and I were sitting at a measly level 12, so guilds didn't want anything to do with us. Players in general didn't bother with us, but we were more than happy to let it stay that way. We were one of many Light Keyblade Wielders, which I guess was a type of class or species. There were also Nobodies, Heartless (but they looked unique compared to the generic Heartless), and of course, Dark Keyblade Wielders. Don't ask me how the Dark Keyblade Wielders can take the Mark of Mastery Exam, that's a mystery in itself. Hardcore gamers in KHO like Ominous Blight and Lionheart (I don't understand why Aubade chose Leon's clothes but not a username relevant to him) were Dark Keyblade Wielders, and rumors were going around that they were thinking of becoming Keyblade Masters. So far, the only Keyblade Masters were five game masters.

Two more Heartless ambushes slowed us down in the Backstreets before we made it to the Fountain Plaza. Instead of the Victorian-age layout of the first three districts, this part of town looked festive and child-like. We walked over the top of the sewer lid where I expected Julius to clamber out from. Although I didn't find the Dream Eaters helpful, it felt strange not having them with me in the new parts of Traverse Town. I wonder what type of Heartless they set up for—?

"Since when are there Neoshadows in Traverse Town?" Aubade demanded as seven figures leapt from the concrete and surrounded us.

I quickly summoned my Keyblade and called out, " _Stopra!_ "

A claw that reached out to me froze in place and I didn't hesitate to swing it away from me. The Stopra spell lost its effect right before Aubade was about to take out a third Neoshadow, and the others opted to sink into the ground or swipe at us with basic melee attacks. Once Aubade defeated the third Neoshadow, the remaining 4 sank into the ground and we prepared for a change of attack style.

Nine dark portals appeared around us and a Heartless jumped out the nearest one to attack me. I blocked as it landed on the ground and tried to hit it, but it was too fast. Aubade knew there was no point in casting Thundara, the Neoshadows had us surrounded; there wasn't even enough room for a dodge roll. Although my height was 6'0, these creatures were almost a metre taller than me. It didn't bother me, but how did Aubade feel at his usual height?

"I swore I read that they w-weren't going to u-use Neoshadows," Aubade staggered back in an attempt to block, "Until much later updates."

Another Neoshadow came for me. I met it with a parry but it molded into the shadows once more, "Maybe it's a glitch?"

"No more glitches! _Coded_ drove me mad," He jumped back out of reach.

I turned to him, "I'm being serious. We're at level 12, how can they expect us to fight off Neoshadows when our level can't compete?"

A Heartless took me by surprise and executed a combo that threw me on the ground. Within moments, Aubade followed after me. Despite the fact that the game didn't have a pain simulator, we covered our heads because everything at that moment seemed too real. If this was the work of Tori, she was insanely smart. Hacking into the system for in-game foes to do the dirty work, then disposing of us afterwards... How could we fall into a trap like this?

" _Triple Pursuit._ "

I lifted my head up to find three large icicles hitting a Neoshadow square in the chest, before it exploded into munny and health points. The final three kept their attack style and shifted over to the intruder. "Who... is it?" I sat up.

"Beats me, I can't see him over the top of the Heartless," Aubade shrugged. The mysterious player was quite skilled in using magic even in a tight space, so it was clear he chose the Dream Rod when he first joined. I couldn't tell whether he gave up the Dream Shield or Sword, because I couldn't hear or see signs of him struggling against the Neoshadows. It doesn't seem like it, but Aubade chose the Dream Shield and I chose the Dream Sword. We both gave up the Dream Rod.

The player was down to one Neoshadow, which shifted away to over to the heart-shaped fountain and proceeded to summon six portals around it. "Shit! We gotta do something!" I scrambled up and swung my arm to summon my Keyblade. Aubade followed me to the fountain as a Neoshadow crept out of each portal.

The player hacked at them with more magic, " _Thundaga! Ice Barrage. Sliding Dash!_ "

He took out two of the Heartless with the first two spells and began on a third one with Sliding Dash. Aubade and I went to the remaining too and dealt countless combos in sheer panic. We managed to stop their revival and found our unknown player was also successful. He turned to the Neoshadow summoner, it was standing in the bountiful water of the fountain.

" _Quick Blitz!_ " I let the attack lead me to the final enemy and it splattered into bright smithereens. All of our Keyblades vanished with a flash and I turned to our savior. "Hey, thanks for saving our—"

"I had it, you know," He snapped at me bitterly, and I walked over for closer inspection. "I don't know why Neoshadows keep coming to Traverse Town, but they're not in Radiant Garden," He spoke again. Although he sounded like he had an attitude problem, the voice didn't sound manly. The voice had a hint of an Asian girl trying to speak English.

Her attire was based off Lightning's outfit from Dissidia — black boots, white coat and pink cape etcetera. It wasn't that her coat was small — it's more that her breasts looked like they were going to suffocate. But before I got caught checking them out, I focused on her face.

Her ebony hair was tied back into a ponytail that sat on the top of her head, while bangs (I think that's what they're called) shaped her small face and nearly covered her eyes. The lower-half of her face was omitted by a purple scarf, so I didn't bother looking at her face.

"Do you think it's the criminal?" Aubade interrupted my thoughts.

The girl shrugged. Not one much for talking?

"I'm Oathkeeper," I said, then gestured to my friend, "and this is Aubade."

"Oblivion," She said curtly. In order to maintain eye contact with her, I had to keep my head quite low. I hoped she didn't think I was mocking her height; she seemed older than us. But then she tried to make her tone sound friendly, "You two sound like you are doing the big mission. Is it ok if I become a member in your party?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Whoa. Party? Did we look like hardcore gamers to her?

"I thought you would be around my level because you fought them well, until you turned your back on them," She muttered.

"No way, I couldn't keep up with their speed," I shook my head, remembering that moment. I started to feel embarrassed.

"So you came to the rescue when you saw we were in trouble," Aubade said with annoyance, "We don't even know anything about you. How can we trust you?"

She crossed her arms in front of her petite body, "It looks like the easiest way to finish this mission is in a party. I don't care about the money. I want to level up."

"I bet you used cheats to get where you are now," He accused.

"I was one of the beta testers for KHO."

"Oh."

I didn't understand what wavelength Aubade was on, but it seemed to me that he thought this girl was trouble. But how could we not trust her when she saved us? In the real world, Hunter was always going off at me about how I trusted people too easily and believed in second chances.

Last Valentine's Day, my girlfriend cheated on me. Hunter wanted me to dump her right away, but I wanted to stay with her because she meant the world to me. In fact, she's the one who gave me a second chance because I screwed up in the first place. It was her way of saying I spent too much time on games, work and footy, but not enough time with her.

"Sure thing, we could use an extra set of hands," I spoke up before Aubade could ask any more questions. He looked like he wanted to give me another trust issue lecture, but opted for the classic death glare. What was the harm in letting her tag along? If we had her by our side, it would make the mission go quicker if we faced anymore Neoshadows. Oblivion used two fingers to tap the space in front of her, and the game's menu appeared. After she sent us friend requests and we accepted, I could see her username and stats.

"You're at level 20?"

"You're at level 12?"

Oblivion and I turned to each other at the same time, surprised. She was the first to snap out of her surprised gaze. She turned sullen once more, "We better get out of here before they might re-spawn."

We walked across the water of the fountain and into the exit of the Fountain Plaza. The water itself seemed so real, as well the look of how soggy our shoes were getting. But the feeling of wet shoes wasn't a part of the game system, so it was good to know the players had a chance to compare real life from virtual reality.

Once more, I checked my inbox. Nothing, except the word "seen". Exactly what it looks like, the same as a Facebook message.

"Where are you from?" Oblivion asked after we stepped into the Fourth District.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You are both handsome, but don't sound American," She said it like it was a hypothesis rather than a compliment, although I couldn't help but blush, "So where are you from?"

"Australia, and yourself?" Aubade asked.

"Japan," She shrugged.

We stood there, scanning the area.

Tori picked this part of Traverse Town as her in-game home because barely anyone came here; some players still preferred the three original districts. Compared to the new parts like the Fountain Plaza and Fifth District, the Fourth District's architecture replicated the child-like essence of a Dream Eater. There was a tower near us where anyone could easily jump up to, and strings of Christmas lights dropped from the upper layers. Light bulbs and signs gave off vibrant colors of yellow, purple and blue, which reminded me of the Oathkeeper Keyblade.

"Would you know where to look for the criminal?" Oblivion asked.

"Oh, that's the thing," Aubade said, "We know where she could be hiding, because she's Oathkeeper's girlfriend."

She shifted away from us, taken aback from Aubade's words, "Did you ask her to do it?"

"... No, why would we?" I was unsure what was going through her head.

Oblivion straightened up once more, and said coolly, "She doesn't sound like someone you should be dating, Oathkeeper."

A pregnant silence followed, due to my shock at her words. How dare she? "Who gave you the right? It's my choice!" I practically growled at her. But she didn't waver in her stance. She should have. I stepped over to her until I had to drop my chin to my chest, "Tori is the only girl who loves me—"

"Pazu Midori is the only family I have left!" Oblivion looked like she was ready to slap me.

Maybe she would, but who cared? It's not like I would feel it. We were opposites in so many ways that sizing each other up built tension in the air.

Aubade cut in, "Pazu Midori is your dad?"

"Uncle," She answered him, then looked at me with fire in her eyes, "He's almost dead because of your girlfriend. When I get my hands on her, she's going to pay."

"You mean when we get our hands on her," Aubade corrected, "You can't get to her without us."

"Whatever," Oblivion turned away from us, "Let's get this over and done with. She looks like a weak player, so it can't be too hard to beat her."

I wanted to defend Tori again, but this time Oblivion was right. Which made me wonder. A game master was set up as 'Immortal Object' in the system. How did Tori get around that? Maybe I was in denial? I didn't want to be, because I also wanted to help Aubade out. But it didn't sound like Tori would know more about the game system than I did, let alone break the system. She was nothing like Oblivion.

"Lead the way, I guess," Oblivion muttered. It was understandable that Oblivion would be upset about her uncle, but I didn't want to team up with her again. I stepped in front of her to walk down a flight of stairs on my left. To my right was a street lamp, a stack of boxes and black and yellow police tape, horizontally wrapped around the bricks of the wall, which led to another stairway down to the bottom of the district.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When we came to another landing, I saw Oblivion glance up at the tower. "What's wrong?" I asked, despite my anger towards her.

"I went to Radiant Garden right after it was unlocked," She continued to look up, "But I used to think of climbing to the top of that tower like I did in Dream Drop Distance. The view looks pretty in the game, so imagine what it would look like in a virtual reality."

Was she ok? Maybe she had assumed that her uncle was already dead, and wanted to laze about. "We should get going, before someone else comes looking here," Aubade cautiously put a hand on her shoulder. Oblivion nodded.

"We're almost there, trust me."

Maybe I underestimated Oblivion. I thought she was all-business; a stuck-up bitch. Thinking she could beat a group of Neoshadows by herself and assuming what was best for me really grated on my nerves. How old was she? It was rude to talk to a player about their life outside of the game. But surely she knew that when she asked where we were from? And why _did_ she cover her face like that?

"Oblivion, why don't you want anyone to see your face?" I asked. She flicked her head towards me. Well, that got her refocused. I raised my hands in surrender, "I was just curious."

I waited for her to yell at me in incoherent rage. Instead, she crossed her arms over her dainty body and shivered. "I felt good about having an avatar — no one could see what I really looked like."

"You don't like the way you look?" Aubade queried. She shook her head and I imagined her avatar. A girl almost as tall as I was, with a strong build and fair complexion. Her eyes would be light blue and her hair would be rosy pink. An attractive woman, but not my cup of tea. However, I knew in my gut that Oblivion would be a great Lightning.

"What's wrong with your face?" I asked. Aubade immediately cuffed the back of my head and my HP lowered by 4 points. I wished for the classic death glare instead.

"I don't like people seeing what I really look like," Oblivion shook her head again, "It invades my privacy."

I thought for a moment to sugarcoat my next question. "If you don't mind me asking, don't your friends in real life see your face anyways?"

I hoped Aubade was satisfied. "The only person who sees me is my uncle," She answered. So she doesn't have friends in real life? Oops.

"I think that's enough interviewing, Oathkeeper," Aubade said, I could tell he was getting anxious. We walked down another flight of stairs, and my heart began racing. Although we had the upper hand of knowing the criminal, it all seemed too easy. Why didn't Tori set up more defenses?

"Is there a plan on capturing her after we get into her house?" Oblivion asked.

"Not exactly..." I was caught off-guard with the question.

"Ok then," She said, "Aubade, you block all the exits. Oathkeeper, has your Stopra recharged?"

"Yeah?" I answered in puzzlement.

"I'll challenge her to a one-on-one duel. Once it's over, I want you to put Stopra on her while I contact a game master," She explained.

"But how did you know that I have the power to block exits in a building?" Aubade asked.

"I saw your stats when we accepted friend request, remember?" Oblivion started, "Straight away I knew that you wanted the Dream Shield and dumped the Dream Rod. Once a Defense-type Player hits level 10, they can choose to be able to make a strong defense with their environment."

"Oh," He said, "You're right. And you're the complete opposite to me."

She nodded. I came to a halt to the last building at the bottom of the stairs. "She's here," I placed my hand on the wooden door. It was a modest house compared to most of the architecture in the Fourth District; small and easily unnoticed.

I was about to knock on the door when I heard Oblivion sigh and she shoved my arm down, "You don't knock when you're arresting someone! I'll cut the door down."

"That's just as bad as knocking _on the_ door, she'll know we're here either way."

"But knocking _at the_ door will tell her we're not friends."

Oblivion angled her body and threw her arms to the side in one motion, and when she swung her arms forward the 'Oblivion' Keyblade was crushing the door down. If Tori was behind the door, she would have lost all her health points thanks to the angry, mysterious, little girl in front of me. But luckily she wasn't and when Oblivion finished taking the door down, we stepped into a dimly-lit room.

There was a stairway on the farthest left and a kitchen area in the opposite corner. In the center of the space was a wooden square table. A girl with cropped brunette hair and fair skin sat at the table, facing us with eyes of mild surprise. Her knitting needles and ball of yarn were near her right hand, showing what she had been doing before our intrusion. Tori was always knitting.

"Why didn't you answer my message?" I asked. What an insecure boyfriend thing to say, but I didn't feel selfish about it.

"Because I knew you would get here soon enough," Tori said with a smirk, "And since you're here, this proves my point."

Fuck, I didn't come all this way to hear this...

"You don't love me."

It made me want to punch a wall every time she said it. How was I supposed to prove her wrong? Up until a month ago, I thought we were happy together. Whether it was over the phone, online or in person, I thought we were happy together! I didn't know why she started accusing me, but I never asked because my brain was in overdrive. I started to buy her anything she wanted and met up with her whenever she said, even if it meant skipping my work shift or ditching footy training. Love was meant to be a strong word, but Tori threw it around like it was nothing. Like I was nothing.

"Why are you telling me this now?" I spoke with annoyance, never looking away from her grey eyes. Aubade, who was standing by my left, sensed the underlying frustration in my voice and stood in a way that showed his support for me. I told him everything, including the struggles with Tori. Oblivion, on the other hand, was two steps in front of me and much closer to my left. She only met me 20 minutes ago, and here she was seeing Tori prove her point from before. Maybe Oblivion was right about Tori?

"Because I've found someone else," Tori finally said.

"Bullshit."

"Tori, I demand to duel you in one-on-one combat," Oblivion stopped us.

"But I didn't kill Pazu Midori," Tori's plastic smile wiped off.

"Then who did?" Oblivion demanded.

A silence fell over us with no explanation. Tori sat there as if she was waiting for some cue, while Oblivion was ready to burst. The deliberate sounds of footsteps came from the stairs in a monotone rhythm. A figure stepped away from the shadows and closer to the table. It was a man who didn't look much older than me. The look of recognition spread across Oblivion's face, "You?"

 **Author's note: Don't you just love cliffhangers? If you write your own stories, you'll probably agree it's the fun thing to do. This was quite an enjoyable chapter to write. Do you like Oathkeeper as a protagonist? Is Aubade a good character, or do you think he just whinges a lot? And what do you think of Oblivion so far?**

 **I have big things planned for the 3 of them but if you think they're not believable then let me know why. For awhile now I've been focused on trying to create convincing characters for my stories.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"What a coincidence," The man chuckled without humor, "I didn't expect you to log in, I thought you would have been by your uncle's bedside."

"Why?" Oblivion asked furiously. That's when Aubade, Tori and I were blocked out of the conversation. The man spoke and kept his arrogant demeanor while Oblivion kept her frantic one. However, they spoke in precise tones and syllables that resembled nothing like English.

"I guess they're talking in Japanese," Aubade shrugged and I took the chance to memorize the man's features. It was safe to assume he was Japanese. He was slim with scruffy, black hair and wore a customized outfit which looked similar to Kirito's blue attire in Sword Art Online. Even though there were places like juvenile prison, it was scary to think he was close to my age and had the mindset to kill someone.

Suddenly, Oblivion stepped back and her arms were engulfed by dark smoke and purple sparks. Once they disappeared, 'Oblivion' appeared in her arms. "Haku, I demand to duel you," She growled in English.

"How rude of you, _Amaterasu,_ " The man did his own Keyblade summoning gesture, "My player name is Chaos Ripper."

'Chaos Ripper' had a long range with a chipped and asymmetrical design. Its main color schemes were black and dark red, and the Eye of Darkness symbol was centered into the head of the blade. Chaos Ripper himself must have been big on hard-hitting moves, unless he was crazy like Oblivion, who wanted to use magic with the Keyblade currently in her hands.

" _Sugisarishi Omoide,_ the Passing Memories Keyblade. You hacked the system to get it," Chaos Ripper grinned at 'Oblivion' with excitement. It got on my nerves though.

"Yes I did, but I never hack to kill people," Oblivion tensed, "If I win, you go to jail."

Chaos Ripper smirked even more, "And if I win, I—!"

"You won't."

Without any warning, she flipped over the table (and a surprised Tori). The moment her Keyblade clashed with 'Chaos Ripper', the room's ceiling was enlightened by a timer. The time limit of a duel depended on the stats of the players involved, and so Oblivion had 5 minutes to beat Chaos Ripper.

I saw Aubade push his hand on to a window behind us (since Oblivion broke the door). Green light glowed across every window, as well as the gap where the door once was. So Oblivion's real name was Amaterasu... Like the black flames in Naruto? But wait, Oblivion said she apparently didn't have friends so how did she know Chaos Ripper? I wish I knew what he told her—

Something rammed into my stomach and the game system forced me backwards. My body slammed into the blue barrier of the house's entrance and I slumped to the ground. I looked down and saw Oblivion sprawled across my legs. Her health points had dropped to zero and so it gave her the appearance of being unconscious, as her empty health bar floated above her head. I turned to Aubade, "Aubade, turn off the barriers and get us out—!"

Chaos Ripper ran up to him at a crazy speed and whacked him with his Keyblade. Aubade was taken out in one blow and Chaos Ripper turned towards me. Crap, not Hunter! He looked too lifeless to be unconscious... And what about Amaterasu?

"Please," I squeezed her for comfort. The man ignored my plea and took his time walking towards me. He somehow had the power to kill me in this game, and Amaterasu carried this secret to her grave. I had nowhere to run as he swung his Keyblade over me with a ruthless look, "No, don't—!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

I slowly blinked my eyes open. I saw...the darkness. The darkness of my room that is. I slipped the NerveGear helmet off my head and sighed with relief. I didn't think a game could get so serious, until today. I turned over to my side and looked at my clock. 6pm. My phone sat next to my clock, and so I took it and dialed Hunter's number. After 10 beeps, the phone was answered. "Colton?" Hunter asked.

"Hey," I spoke casually.

"We're not dead."

"Nope."

A pause hung over the phone. Mum always said that games would be the death of me. I never thought about the consequences when I chose to stay by Aubade's side, even though I didn't care about the bounty on Chaos Ripper. But if I said no, I would have regretted it when I found out that I let my best friend die alone. I decided to break the silence by saying, "I'm gonna have dinner. Do you want to log into KHO when an hour is up?"

"Of course!" Hunter's raised voice made me jump, "Don't you care about Oblivion? She would log in the moment she had a chance."

"Since when did you care?" I asked with genuine curiosity. I thought he didn't like her?

"I get she's weird and bossy, but I think it's because she has bad socializing skills and she's angry," Hunter said, "Keep in mind she barely knows you, yet she could see that you're in a shitty relationship."

"She only said that because she's scared for her uncle," I spoke with surprising calmness. I was tired of the game Tori was playing with me; I didn't know how to win.

"I saw you hugging her before I got knocked out," Hunter argued.

"Maybe if you were paying attention to what Chaos Ripper was doing, we would still be in the game," I retorted, "I only hugged her when he was coming at me."

"So you admit to caring for her too?"

"Wait, who said I didn't?" I was incredibly confused. Maybe some brain food would make me feel better.

"Nothing," He teased.

"Ok," I decided to let this one go, "Well, I'm gonna get something to eat. I'll meet you in an hour."

We said goodbye and hung up. I got out of my room and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Someone's rushed footsteps skidded across the floor and I was greeted by my dog. "Hey boy! Did you miss me?" I cooed as I knelt down to give him a belly rub, "I've only been gone for 3 hours."

Mac rolled over to a sitting position and licked my face with affection. He was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier with a brown coat. We got him as a re-homed dog 5 years ago, so I'd say he would be about 8-years-old in human years. "Hey Colton, what are you making?" Chris called from his spot on the living room couch in front of me.

"Macaroni cheese," I replied, grabbing supplies from the cupboard.

"Don't you eat anything else when Mum and Dad are away?" My older brother complained.

"Nope, you'll have to order pizza again," I grinned.

Afterwards I was sitting at the dinner table eating my makeshift dinner. My parents were on a short vacation in Hong Kong. They offered me to come along since they've taken me to a lot of other places, but I thought it would be good for them to have time for themselves.

It's only been 5 days since they've left and Chris has already taken initiative to invite his girlfriend over. Lucky for me I was on school holidays before Term 2 started, so I stayed up as late as I wanted. But Chris's bedroom was right next to mine and it's hard to sleep when I could hear him screwing the brains out of his girlfriend. Speaking of girlfriends, what happened to mine?

" _Because I've found someone else._ "

These words echoed in my mind on a never ending loop. I kept forgetting that I wasn't spending enough time with her, I was an idiot. But was it wrong to want to spend quality time with your video games? I tried my best to get Tori into gaming but it just wasn't her thing. Balancing school, work, footy, games and _her_ was a crazy juggling act, but I didn't know how much longer I could keep it up.

When I told Hunter about Tori's changing attitude, he asked why I wanted to prove her wrong. But who wouldn't? I chose girls based on their personality and she had a wonderful one — confident, adventurous, outspoken and clever.

Panic slowly rose in my chest as I thought back to my new friend, Oblivion. Was she really a beta tester for KHO, or was she just a cheater? Because of Pazu Midori, it made sense that she had found out knowledge about the game. But she also seemed like she had a lot of experience in VRMMORPG's. Hunter and I never got into them before KHO because we agreed it would be better to save money for the NerveGear, and the fact that Square Enix was the first major game developer to use this platform. Before KHO, the NerveGear was only used for indie games.

But for now, the questions I wanted to ask her had to be put on hold. I hoped she was still alive, as it seemed that Chaos Ripper decided not to kill Hunter and I. And who the hell was Chaos Ripper?

 **Author's note: I know this chapter seems like a filler but bare with me. The reason I don't plan to trap my characters inside a virtual reality is because I want my readers to see their lives outside of the game. I'm planning to make KHO into a trilogy, and have each story in the point of view Oathkeeper, Aubade and Oblivion.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

10 minutes after finishing my dinner, Hunter rang me, "When we log back in, we should theoretically end up at the end of the Fourth District."

"How come? Aren't checkpoints only at the start of each world?" I asked, confused.

"No, it's just like in all the other games where you get to save in a few places," He said, "But you don't have to step into a circle and take a few minutes to save. The system does it for you."

"So they expect us to remember the places that let you save?"

"You _did_ save before a boss battle, didn't you?" Hunter asked expectedly. Ain't nobody got time for that! Most days I could go without saving because I wanted to sail through proud mode in _2.5 Remix._ After I refused to answer him, Hunter continued, "Anyways, Oblivion got kicked out a few minutes before us. I doubt even _she_ could hack the server to let her back in any sooner so she would probably wait for us."

"If she isn't hurt that is," I added.

"I'm not the one who was checking out her tits."

"I check out every girl's tits."

"But I know you haven't looked at your girl's tits in a while," He countered. Well, I couldn't argue with that. But so what if I didn't? Did that make me disloyal? Was I a bad boyfriend? As per usual, I couldn't figure out what Hunter was planning so I went for a different approach.

"So, Hunter," I used the voice, "Do you bash the pussy or lick it first?"

I could hear my best friend of 8 years blush over the phone. No matter how many times I made fun of his sex life, Hunter was always thrown off guard. He asked his friend Ebony Dunkley out 2 years ago, and they knew each other for 10 years even before that. Their relationship wasn't perfect, but it was something I envied and it had nothing to do with sex. Sure, I'm a shameless horn dog, but I still cared if a girl wanted to lose her virginity to someone like me, let alone do it with me. And there was the fact that I had no experience.

"Oh, look at the time!" Hunter suddenly piped up, "I'll see you there!"

He hung up before I could get my answer out of him. Not that I really wanted to know, but it was a good way to distract him when I wanted to. I put my phone back on my bedside table and picked up a helmet. Once I put it on and laid back on my bed, I said the magic words, "Link Start."

The darkness in my vision slowly faded into a bluish hue which imitated the ocean, making me feel like I was sinking lower into its depths. But instead of drowning, I could still breath. Eventually my body rotated to an upright stance and I spotted the ocean floor beneath me. When my feet came in contact with the ground, white doves scattered all around me to reveal a radiant glow. The doves disappeared after they completed forming a circular column for me to stand on, known as the Dive to the Heart.

The default setting for my Dive to the Heart was the Station of Serenity. The stained-glass window floor had its blue shades, a sleeping Sora and the faces of Riku, Kairi, Goofy and Donald as they were in _Kingdom Hearts 2._ Unless you had a home base within the game like Tori, a player had to go through the Dive of the Heart to get to their last save checkpoint. Personally, I thought it was a fancy way to log you back into the game without the need to hit the ground running. I heard you could change the settings to personalize your Dive to the Heart, though I couldn't figure out how. But I bet Oblivion knew.

I shook my head. No time for daydreaming, I had priorities over other questions for her. Ahead of me was a flight of glass-like stairs. Usually I would chill out on the way up, but this time I dashed as fast as my in-game speed would let me. In no time, I neared a set of doors and they creaked open to lead me into the light.

The server for Australian players must have been working overtime. I didn't notice the graphics had already loaded until I was toppled over by a stack of wooden boxes at the start of the Fourth District. Instead of seeing Traverse Town's infinite night sky, I saw Oblivion's purple scarf-clad face inches near mine.

It took me a moment to realize she had been talking to Aubade while sitting on the boxes I just bulldozed, so of course she would have toppled over like them. If it took for her to fall right into my face for me to know she was alive, then so be it. "You're late," Aubade said from his spot, leaning against a lamppost.

Oblivion scrambled off of me and I slowly rose to my feet, ignoring Aubade. I turned to Oblivion instead, "Are you alright? And how is your uncle?"

"I'm okay and my uncle was taken to hospital by the time I logged out," She answered, "Where I live, it would have taken me over an hour to get to where he was. So I waited at home to log in again."

Because of Pazu Midori's job, I guessed she would have been a city kid. As in the very heart of the city, where she would have to live in an apartment rather than a house like me. Aubade and I called ourselves city kids but we weren't, not really. We weren't the stereotypical Aussie blokes who had sun kissed skin or liked surfing. We were from Victoria, in a shabby-looking suburb called Werribee. We were city kids because we lived about 2 hours away from the Melbourne City Centre, commonly known as The City.

"Oblivion was telling me she wanted to go ask Tori on where to find Chaos Ripper," Aubade said.

" _Why?_ " I eyed Oblivion cautiously. I wasn't ready to talk to _her_ so soon.

"It's worth a try," She shrugged.

"What did he tell you?" I remembered to ask.

"I'll explain on the way," She began descending the stairs to Tori's house. We walked alongside her as she told us, "His real name is Haku and he works for my uncle, or used to. Once Kingdom Hearts 3 was successful and wrapped up the Xehanort Saga, Square Enix moved onto their next story arc. Haku suggested KHO as a filler to keep the fans occupied, but no one took him seriously, except for my uncle. My uncle "stole" it, as Haku said to me, and now Haku wants revenge for it. Killing my uncle was the first step, and now he wants to change things in the game system that will make Square look bad."

"Like Neoshadows in Traverse Town?" I offered.

"Haku admitted to that," Oblivion nodded.

"And how did he kill your uncle?" Aubade asked the million-dollar question.

"... He's not sure if he killed him or not," She looked worried, "Haku was fired right before the beta testing for KHO because he kept arguing with the other employees. But he was somehow sneaky enough to get into Square's building overnight and he learned how to change my uncle's avatar settings. Haku set up his avatar to stimulate nerves in the brain so that my uncle could feel things, like getting hurt in a duel."

"So you don't know if your uncle is going to be okay?" I asked.

"I have no idea, the mind is a powerful and tricky thing," She said.

"But he made the game, so he would know that it's not real. It was only inside his head," Aubade pointed out, "no matter how good the graphics are."

"That's not the point," Oblivion shook her head, "Of course it was happening inside his head, Aubade, but why on earth should that mean that it was not real?"

"How come Haku doesn't know if he's dead or not?" He demanded.

"I saw his eyes waver a little when he was talking about adding the stimulators to my uncle's avatar. He's only 21, he's never used virtual brain stimulators so he wouldn't know their full extent," She answered. So Oblivion had some people skills after all, and wasn't socially awkward like Sai. But if she knew Haku was an employee for Pazu Midori, did that mean she's walked into the building of Square Enix?

 **Author's note: Yay all is revealed! And I promise I will make better antagonists in the future. I'm expecting to write 3 or 4 chapters more, but who knows? I might not have enough space to cram it into just 4.**

 **narku the ulnimate fusion asked me if Kingdom Hearts characters would appear in this fanfic and I guess having them in the Dive to the Heart counts, right? But seriously, I'm considering using the Organization or other KH enemies as bosses for KHO.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Hello, Tori," Oblivion looked at Tori passed the green tinge of Aubade's barrier, "May we come in?"

"I would let you in," Tori kept her head down to her knitting, "but I'm a prisoner in my own house — thanks to your charming friend."

"Oh," Aubade remembered. He stepped up to the house's door gap and placed a hand on the barrier. It was off like a switch.

Once it disappeared, Tori said, "You may come in."

We entered her house once more and Oblivion didn't hesitate to get down to business. She went over to the table and stood opposite Tori. In a calm tone she asked, "Where did Chaos Ripper go?"

Tori still didn't look at us, keeping the even rhythm in her knitting, "And why should I tell you? I bet you could find out where he is with that nice little hacking mind of yours."

Oh no.

I didn't need to see Oblivion's face to know she lost her patience. So I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her away from Tori's reach. "Calm down," I told her. I expected her to talk back at me or shove me off, but instead she stood dead still. Even Tori looked at me.

"Colton, what the _hell_ are you doing?" Tori demanded. I furrowed my brow in confusion, and I looked down. I aimed to grab Oblivion by the waist, but apparently I didn't aim low enough. Boobs are something that most guys my age look at, but do not touch — including myself. No wonder Tori was mad at me. No wonder Oblivion hadn't said anything. But at least we couldn't feel it. I shook my head, letting go of Oblivion. Tori looked at me with disapproval, but at least I got her attention.

"Tori, please help us," I said to my girlfriend after I got over my shock.

"Why should I?"

"Because every player in KHO thinks you're a criminal, but you're not," I never took my eyes off her, "You're my girlfriend, who loves knitting. You're clever, honest and brave. We will clear your name and stop the bounty on your head, but only if you tell us where Chaos Ripper is."

She searched deeply into my eyes. I wasn't sure what she was looking for, but I had nothing to hide from her. It had been a long time since Tori _really_ looked at me. I wish we could have stayed like that forever, but Aubade and Oblivion were counting on me. "Please," I begged.

It was pushy of me, but I needed to hurry before anything worse happened to other players in the game. "Okay," Tori caved in, "He has 3 hiding places: the Garden in the Fifth District, the Fountain Plaza and the Gizmo Shop."

"No wonder the Neoshadows attacked us, we were near him..." Aubade said thoughtfully, "So one of his hideouts is in the sewer?"

Tori shrugged, "I've never been to any of his hideouts so I couldn't tell you."

"Okay, we'll look in the Garden first," Oblivion started to walk out the door.

"Uh, thanks," Aubade told Tori before quickly following after Oblivion.

"Thank you, Tori. I'll make sure you can walk around KHO like a normal player again," I said to her.

As I turned away from her, she took hold of my arm, "Wait."

I looked back at her once more. "Why are you doing this? You don't care about money or leveling up. I can't even imagine you walking around with a Moogle," She asked.

"It's not for me. It's for you, Aubade and Oblivion," I answered, "I'm guessing Aubade would want money, and Oblivion said she wanted to level up. But Oblivion wants justice because her uncle is Pazu Midori."

"Oh, wow," Tori's eyes lit up in surprise, then glowered in realization, "No wonder she's so determined. Reminds me of you, actually."

"We're just looking out for the people who matter to us. I'm sure you would do the same for me," I said. I didn't wait for her to say anything else, but I saw her soft lips form into a sorry smile before leaving. Personally, I didn't believe in my statement. Maybe I was being too harsh on her? I was probably doing what she was doing to me.

I caught up to Aubade and Oblivion at the set of doors leading to the Fifth District. The doors were framed with red and white cubes, with handles that looked like the face of Hockomonkey. To our right were three Moogles; the nearest one being your everyday Moogle merchant; the one in the nearest corner running the Medal Shop; the one farthest from us being in charge of the Flick Rush Colosseum. Speaking of the Colosseum, the building next to us had a red sign with large yellow letters of "COLOSSEUM". The infamous pink Meow Wow balloon floated above us in all its quirkiness.

"Do you think there'll be Neoshadows here, too?" Aubade asked us as a group.

"Yes, I've seen them in the Garden and the Fountain Plaza," Oblivion nodded, "I skipped the Gizmo Shop because of all the Heartless in there. But I'm sure there will be other players searching for the wrong person in the Fifth District."

"True," I nodded. Just like leaving the other districts, I touched the door and we were transported. The Fifth District was almost as small as the Third District, if you didn't know about the huge greenhouse that had a green sign which said "Flower & Plant". Shallow water surrounded the building of the Garden, which came from the source of small gaps in the greenhouse like two windows. In the distance was a clock-like tower, but thankfully we weren't going anywhere near it.

If any of us stepped onto the roof of the Garden, we would have summoned Traverse Town's Boss Battle. Embarrassedly, Aubade and I only battled them once because we were surprised at who it was. Aubade pretended he had never seen that girl before as a joke. It was sad to think Xion was diminished to nothing but a joke.

We walked over a small bridge and stepped through the iron gates of the greenhouse. "I think we should split up," Oblivion said as we walked down the ramp of the Garden, prepared to summon our Keyblades.

"It's too dangerous," I argued, resisting the urge to step ahead of her. I saw her roll her eyes at me and Oblivion ran passed us, reaching the bottom of the ramp and turning to her left. "She doesn't have to act so tough all the time," I muttered under my breath, walking at my causal pace. Aubade snickered. "What's funny?" I demanded.

"She's not much different to you," He answered.

"Tori said something like that," I told him. Before Aubade could say something weird, we heard a shrill cry.

We hurried in the same way she did moments ago, and found her near the second iron gates at the bottom of the garden. She was ready to swing her Keyblade at a Neoshadow. "Stop!" A voice cried. We looked around to see who it was, but no one else was here but us. "Don't hurt me," It spoke again. Oblivion stared in wide-eyed disbelief, and we followed her eye line. She was looking at the Neoshadow.

"I'm a player," It said. A Heartless player.

"You scared me," Oblivion straightened herself up and her Keyblade disappeared.

"I'm sorry, it's what beginner Heartless players are given. Then when I get up to level 25 I evolve into a Novashadow, which isn't much different of course. After that, I get to be in Anti-Form until I make it to a Human Heartless," It explained. It's voice sounded like a guy around Oblivion's age, but it sounded cheerful and peppy compared to hers.

"I see, that's interesting," I tried to be friendly. The situation was quite bizarre, seeing as

Neoshadows should have helped us finish our mission. I only saw a few Heartless players in Traverse Town, but they must have been at a much higher level because they were Anti-Forms.

"I'm only here because my party said we should split up to find the criminal," He looked at me with round, yellow eyes and a southern drawl, "They wanted to cover more ground, but now I think it was a bad move. I have no idea where they could be."

Aubade raised his eyebrows at Oblivion, and she glared back. "Check in your friends list," She then told the Heartless, "Your party members will be at the top of your list. Next to their names, it should say where they are right now."

"Oh, thank you so much," He sighed in relief. He tapped the air with two fingers to show his menu.

While he found his friends, I asked, "Have you seen any Neoshadows around here?"

"Only Heartless players," He kept his eyes on the menu.

"Thanks anyways..." Oblivion said with slight disappointment in her voice. We all started walking back the way we came. Hopefully we wouldn't have to go all the way to the Gizmo Shop in the Second District.

"Wait!" The Heartless player rushed up to us. Or rather, to Oblivion. He asked her frantically, "Have we met before? Your voice sounds familiar."

"I'm a solo player, so maybe not."

"But seriously, I recognize your voice from somewhere," He insisted, "Did you play _Legacy of the Duelist_ by the username of Silent Magician?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Oblivion remained silent. I could sort of see the real reason she wanted privacy. Gaming was her lifestyle and because she was so good at it, she had enemies who would get her back if they had the chance. What surprised me was that she liked strategic-focused games. She seemed like someone who would prefer the hit-and-run type of game, but I guess a good gamer is up for anything.

"Yes I was," Oblivion nodded.

"Do you remember me? I was known as Red Eyes Darkness Dragon," The Heartless player spoke enthusiastically.

"... Yes, actually. You helped me win against the last Boss," She realized.

"Sorcerer of Dark Magic isn't a card for noobs, so I knew you would pull it off," He smiled, "So what do I call you now?"

"Oblivion," She said with a bit of pride. It was adorable seeing her lift her chin up and roll her shoulders back.

"Awesome! I'm now End of Pain," End of Pain held out his hand. Oblivion shook it and he said, "I'll add you once I find my party. They'll probably freak out if I don't find them."

"Okay, I'll see you later," She nodded curtly.

"Can I see you without your scarf?" He quickly asked. Oblivion seemed to ignore him and started to walk out of the Garden. End of Pain then said, "I bet you look beautiful anyways."

What a wanker.

Oblivion must have thought so too, because she turned back around. He tugged on his head, and his head revealed to be a hat. This made me decided that whole day was strange in general. "After the game masters took away our avatars, the Heartless players figured they might as well be cosplayers in a virtual reality," He explained.

End of Pain looked like a pretty boy version of L in a Neoshadow jumpsuit. For a start, his hair was way too puffy; like an ominous storm cloud. He wasn't much shorter than me, maybe 5'10"? I'm pretty thin and my mom thinks I don't eat enough, but he was scrawny. His skin was pearly white, like Oblivion's, which made the rings under his eyes much darker than they really were. The smile he wore wasn't unnerving like L's; it was fairly normal. It was a gentle grin with half-closed eyes.

"Why didn't you take it off right after your avatar was taken away?" Oblivion asked with mild curiosity.

"It keeps me in character, I guess," End of Pain shrugged, "It makes me feel more Heartless."

"So you trust us enough to show your real face?" She asked.

"Yeah," He shrugged again, "Ya'll seem like good guys to me."

After finally saying goodbye to him, we made our way to the Fountain Plaza. When we walked over the sewer lid, a mixture of Heartless appeared. Instead of Neoshadows, there were Soldiers, Blue Rhapsodies and Red Nocturnes. "I'll take the Soldiers," Oblivion declared, charging at said Heartless.

"I've got dibs on the red ones," I said before Aubade could stop me. The Red Nocturnes were red (obviously) with chicken feet, a yellow witch hat and the iconic yellow eyes and black skin of the Heartless. I locked on to one of the red, cone-like creatures and started with a _Sliding Dash._ Because these Heartless were so easy to beat, my mind wondered away from the fight. Maybe Oblivion was used to guys flirting with her?

You wouldn't expect for gamers to have a lot of dating opportunities, but then this girl joins in the game and can hold on her own. Apparently it's sexy when a girl beats you at a game you're really into. Aubade told me when his girlfriend beats him at something like Super Smash Bros., it means she can compete with him at something he likes and he thinks it's hot. "So are you used to guys hitting on you like that?" I asked Oblivion while finishing three out of five Red Nocturnes.

"I guess," Oblivion shrugged, she was almost finished with her last Soldier, "It seems that American boys are quite straight to the point when they like me."

She took one last swing at the Soldier and he vanished in a twinkle of hearts and munny. I turned back to my opponents and concentrated on being swift and nimble. One of the Nocturnes charged at me in a ball of flame, and I blocked it easily. After I released my block, I noticed another Nocturne from the corner of my eye. I snapped my head to the opposite side and before I could dodge, two flaming Nocturnes charged at me and I was burning.

"Aubade...?" Through the fiery haze, I searched the surroundings for my friend. He was going berserk in the waters of the Fountain, and onto his last Blue Rhapsody. My health points were already 50% gone. I sighed and turned to one of the Nocturnes.

" _Thundaga,_ " Oblivion raised her Keyblade above her head, calling upon the great forces of lightning to defeat both the Nocturnes and Rhapsodies. She let her Keyblade disappear and cupped her hands around her mouth, calling out to Aubade, "Aubade, do you have _Esuna?_ Oathkeeper needs it!"

With his long, brown curls and wispy beard, Aubade ran over to me. " _Esuna,_ " He pointed 'Way to the Dawn' at me, and my combusting body cooled down. I gave myself a potion and patched myself up.

"We better get out of here," I muttered. We quickly got out of the Fountain Plaza and into a dimly-lit alley.

"Why didn't you just use _Thundaga_ earlier?" Aubade demanded.

"Just because you have me doesn't mean you should let me do all the work," Oblivion told him, "We're not a proper party, but we still have to work together."

Crossing over the bridge, I reflected on my battle with the Red Nocturnes. How can I get my speed level higher? They were a bunch of measly Heartless, but I didn't pay attention to their combined attack like I should have. Did it have to do with my physical state in real life? It felt like it, because I was never the fastest runner in my footy team.

"Oblivion, what can I do to get my speed up?" I asked as we entered the tunnels of the Waterway.

"That's why I didn't want to use Thundaga right away," Oblivion continued to look straight ahead, "But it didn't look like you were going to stay alive before Aubade could finish. The best way to get faster is to level up."

"What are my other options?"

"There's certain moves and Keyblades that give you more speed," She answered, sounding very much like a news reporter, "but I haven't seen them since the beta testing."

Keyblades that give you speed? I would love to get my hands on that! But at the same time, I hoped that Square Enix wasn't trying too hard to make the players OP. And what about the Heartless and the Nobodies? Because they were designed to begin without a heart, how were they supposed to play this game?

Nomura mentioned that all the Bosses for each world was a member of The Organization, yet there was no word about Xehanort. When thinking of the Heartless, it made me wonder about that weird American dude we met in the Garden. "Oblivion, can I see the rest of your face?" I asked politely as possible. We came to a small clearing in the Waterway. Aubade's eyes beamed as he saw a treasure chest in a far corner, and he sprinted over to it while we stood and waited.

"... Maybe after Chaos Ripper is in jail," Oblivion said nervously, quickly stepping away from me. It's not like I was going to rip the scarf off or anything, but I guess that's trust issues for you. She wasn't insecure or shy, yet she was so mysterious. Her hidden facial features reminded me of Kakashi Hatake. If that was the case, I would never see what she really looked like. It annoyed me because seeing a person's face (whether it was an avatar or a real person) helped me remember their name.

Speaking of Kakashi, I voiced my next question, "Is your name really Amaterasu?"

"Yes — and I know it sounds silly," Oblivion tittered sheepishly, "My parents named me after the main Shinto Deity, but everyone knows Amaterasu as black flames."

"Guys! It's my lucky day!" Aubade strutted over to us in theatrical pride. We looked at him with a questioning look, and he said, "I found faith!"

"That's good, I try to tell you to stay positive," I tried not to laugh. His exaggerated (but genuine) excitement was so different from his collected manner that he might as well have been drunk.

"No, I mean as in _Faith,_ " He gave me a pointed look. It took me a second to pick up his meaning. The next few moments were spent on me being in denial.

"You mean the move _Faith?_ " I said slowly.

"Yes!" Aubade pumped his fist in the air, "And it's all mine. I don't have to use _Cura_ on myself anymore."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

We made it into the beginning of the Backstreets. The walls were made up of slated bricks covered in loud graffiti, yet the ground and street lamps made the setting too clean to create an urban setting. The layout was meant to be based off Shibuya, but I wonder how much Square Enix tried to depict Shibuya truthfully? "Now that you know my real name, what are yours?" Oblivion asked us.

It was a fair point, but Hunter and I were new to playing virtual realities. I managed to read up on some common manners in games but I wanted to tread carefully. We weren't sure of who to trust, and the idea of internet friends was weird—

"I'm Hunter," Aubade told her casually.

" _Hun-tah,_ someone who hunts," Oblivion repeated.

He and Oblivion looked at me expectedly. Great.

"My real name is Colton," I muttered. We kept walking, and I waited for her to repeat my name back to me. I glanced at Oblivion. She was quietly speaking some sort of word, and her small lips rounded into the same shape over and over.

" _Cor-tin,_ " She spat out. Seeing my disappointed expression, Oblivion quickly asked, "Is there a word that sounds like your name?"

"Um..." I looked to Aubade for help.

"Colt," He answered. Oblivion looked dumbfounded. Aubade then clarified, "It's a baby boy horse."

"Oh! Good," She nodded. Then she observed me, "You remind me of a horse."

My eyes widened in shock as Aubade snorted. I knew that my face was long but I didn't think I looked like a horse! Oblivion didn't seem like she was insulting or complimenting me, so it switched in my curiosity once more. "... And why do I remind you of a horse?" I spoke nervously.

"Because you look very strong."

"Oh, thanks," I gushed. Okay, so she thought I looked as strong as a horse.

"From now on, I will remember you as Horse," Underneath her scarf, I could see her cheeks lift into a cheeky grin.

We entered the First District once again through a set of arched wooden doors and yellow bulbs to illuminate our surroundings. Compared to the last time I was here, the mood was peaceful. Or was it? The scattered crowd had been replaced by Parties in matching uniforms and the frantic cries were substituted for tense debates. The two most popular Parties in the entire game were currently sitting in the café of the First District. They were the Zantetsuken Party, with their silver and blue armor, and the Megaflare Party, wearing dark armor with tinges of red.

"After this mission is over, does that mean we won't see you again?" I asked Oblivion as the three of us walked passed the café. The thought had only occurred to me just now even though I kept thinking back to End of Pain.

"You ask a lot of questions, Horse," Oblivion sighed.

"Oblivion, sweetheart, cutie, babydoll!" A woman with a Boston gangster accent strode over to Oblivion. "How's it goin'? I knew ya would be in on this, ya so full of drive and ambition!"

She wore the silver and blue armor of the Zantetsuken Party, which contrasted her sun-kissed skin. Her hair was a mane of blonde curls which shaped a face that grinned from ear-to-ear. She couldn't have been older than thirty.

"Hello, Lady Luck," Oblivion bowed her head blandly.

"And who are these fine gentlemen?" Lady Luck glanced at us with raised eyebrows.

"Oathkeeper and Aubade," Oblivion gestured to us accordingly.

"I'm so delighted to make ya acquaintance!" She said airily. Then she turned back to Oblivion, "How's ya search goin'? I bet ya on ya way to put that rat bag in her place! Or are ya a bit lost? If so, do ya want to come with my Party and we'll look together."

"Sorry, I can't do that. I've told Oathkeeper and Aubade that I'm in their Party until the mission is finished," Oblivion shook her head.

"And after that?"

"We'll see. I like to take one day at a time."

"Oh, well of course! I'll let ya get on ya way," Lady Luck said with zany energy, "Take care!"

We turned to walk up the stairs and stood in front of Cid's Accessories Shop. "Do you guys need to buy anything?" Oblivion asked when we stepped through the door.

"What was that all about?" Aubade asked with his face scrunched in confusion.

"She's the leader of the Zantetsuken Party and she wants me to join it," Oblivion answered anxiously.

"Will you?" I asked.

"No, I'm a solo player."

"What about us two?" Aubade demanded.

"At the moment, I'm willing to do anything to keep my uncle safe. But I prefer to work alone," She said.

"Well I'm sorry, but you're our friend now," I retorted without thinking. Oblivion looked taken aback, so I decided to clarify my point, "You don't have to hang out with us all the time, but it would be nice if we could see each other once in awhile."

"I'll try... But once I have that gold crown on my head, who knows what I can do," She shrugged.

"What gold crown?" I asked.

"The one that Sora gets to wear in Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix. Any Light Keyblade Wielder who is level 76 or higher gets to wear a gold crown like he does," She explained.

"We get copper crowns at level 26 to 50 and silver crowns at level 51 to 75," Aubade added. I've never seen any players wear crowns on their head. It would have made Oblivion feel good to know she could be the first player in the entire game to be at level 100.

We travelled to the highest level of the First District and stepped through the doors leading into the Second District. The Gizmo Shop stood high and tall on the other side of the Second District, looking like a cathedral without a cross. "So what's the plan?" I asked Oblivion.

"... I don't know," Oblivion scrunched her brow in thought, "The last plan didn't work, and it doesn't seem like there's a better way to do it."

She surprised me again. It reminded me of the time when Oblivion wanted to relax right before we faced Chaos Ripper, and thinking about it felt like it was years ago. But this time, Oblivion was in a vulnerable position and she knew it. Being an knowledgeable girl and running out of ideas must have been a rough situation. It was even worse when the most important person in your life was in danger. "How about we swap?" I suggested.

"What?" Oblivion spat out.

"You know, swap offense whenever one of us gets overpowered," I mentally cowered, hoping she didn't think I was an idiot.

She chuckled sarcastically. "I only lost to him because he hacked the system to teleport. Sort of like in Dragon Ball or Naruto," She said.

"But I could be your second pair of eyes," I insisted.

"This is the Gizmo Shop, there's going to be a lot of Heartless in there," She told us.

"Aubade can hold out on his own," I nodded to her, then faced Aubade, "Right?"

He gave me a curt nod.

"This is impossible," Oblivion sighed, "I don't want to put you guys in danger, so get out of here if you want to live."

Aubade and I exchanged glances. We managed to stop death once, but could we do it again? Neither of us showed signs of chickening out. We really were going to risk our lives, Aubade for some of his own gain, but for me it was for him and Oblivion.

"That settles it, so let's go," I said. We walked towards the Gizmo Shop with anticipation.

 **Author's note: Sorry that the updates are getting slower, but I will aim to update at least once a week. I'm currently going through a tough time as well, but I will get my head in the game. Thank you to anyone who is still reading this, it means so much to me! Reviews are something that will convince me whether to continue this story or not.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

To our left was the Hotel and two lamp posts. To our right were shops called Boots & Shoes, Dress & Suit (with the Mad Hatter in his green top hat, blue bow tie and yellow coat), Luggage and Restaurant. In front of us was the Gizmo Shop. I could see three wax candles perched on a candle stick, jutting out from the building. Again, this building replicated the Victorian-age style with its classical patterns. The orange lights emitted from building windows, lamp posts and the candles contrasted to the grays of the cathedral and blues of the glass-stained windows. "Do you know how to get in?" Aubade asked.

"Yes, I figured it out on the first day of the beta testing. I just never bothered with it because I hate how crowded it is in there," Oblivion nodded, and she pivoted to the right, "This way."

She led us to another alleyway with a two doors at the end. One was dark brown, while the other was part of the Gizmo Shop in a grey rectangle with blue-stained windows. Next to it sat a single crate, which made me link back to the memory of Oblivion falling on top of me and I blushed. But then I mentally slapped myself. Underneath the bossiness and arrogance, Oblivion cared about us. It wasn't for her own gain; she didn't want people to die because of her. It was the worst time to be sexually objectifying her, let alone think of her that way at all.

Oblivion held her arms out in front of her and her Keyblade appeared in her hands with urgency, like it knew that its owner was frantic. She raised 'Oblivion' over her head and cried, " _Thundaga!_ "

The power of lightning zapped its way into the windows of the Gizmo Shop door, and it swung open with a slow creak. We all entered the building with Keyblades at the ready. On my left I could see a purple cog churning while the floor was covered in pink and brown triangles, but that's all I could make out clearly. Neoshadows were spawning by the second, as if they were expecting us. But none of them made a move to attack us.

"Glad you could make it," Chaos Ripper slowly appeared in the midst of darkness, walking towards us while his Neoshadows parted a walkway for him. Every now and then, he would tap a gear with his Keyblade, causing another Neoshadow to spawn, "I was starting to worry you wouldn't figure out where I was hiding."

"Tori gave you away," I pointed out.

To my surprise, he shrugged, "It was bound to happen. She betrayed you before she betrayed me."

What?

"Don't let him mess with you," Oblivion whispered to me, then faced Chaos Ripper, "How about another duel? Oathkeeper and I versus you."

"What's the matter? Have you grown soft?" Chaos Ripper chuckled in his humorless manner.

"Look who's talking, you're the one who didn't kill us," She bickered.

" _That_ was my warning for you to stay out of my way," He glared, "But I digress. I accept your challenge, with the same conditions. If I win, you all die."

"I'll start off," Oblivion quickly told me, not letting that statement sink in, before rushing him. When 'Oblivion' clashed with 'Chaos Ripper' for the second time, the timer set to 8 minutes and all Hell broke loose. A Neoshadow leapt at me as I heard Aubade shut the door behind him, making various parts of the room trickle with green light.

" _Stopra!_ " I raised my Keyblade over my head. Aubade then used Thundara to make it a little easier for us to take out the Neoshadows, and from what I counted, there were 21 of them which meant we would be attacked in 3 groups. It didn't seem like much, but in a small building like the Gizmo Shop, there was barely any space to move. A few metres away, Oblivion was giving it her all in a duel with Chaos Ripper.

"Keep an eye on her," Aubade said as we hacked and slashed at the Heartless, "I'll take care of things here."

"You sure?" I was so close to taking out a third Neoshadow.

"Yes, go to her! She's in more trouble than I am."

I sighed, and slashed one more time before the lanky and dark creatures unfroze. I fled the scene with a few dodge rolls and rushed over to Oblivion. She barely had time to cast any spells, as Chaos Ripper was a close-range fighter. They were swift and nimble in their movements, blocking and attacking from one height of the building to another. So far, Chaos Ripper hadn't tried any of that teleporting that Oblivion mentioned. 2 minutes had already passed in the duel, and Oblivion declared, "Swap!"

She got out of my way as I charged for Chaos Ripper. In the meantime, she joined Aubade in battling Neoshadows while checking up on me every couple of seconds. I felt that I kept up with Chaos Ripper's speed; it was like dancing to a fast rhythm. But I wanted to break that rhythm. I noticed that Oblivion managed to get his health points down to three quarters of the way, and I wanted hit him at least once before I subbed. (I'm an Australian Football League player, what can you expect?)

"What are you playing at?" Chaos Ripper smirked, blocking another slash of mine, "Why is winning this duel so important to you?"

Because I was Australian, his fluency in English didn't phase me. His question didn't, either. "I'm doing it for my two friends over there," I muttered, jumping and executing a triple air combo, hoping to throw his balance.

"Do you really think Oblivion is your friend? You don't know the first thing about her," He blocked, then slashed at me and I blocked, kicking at his leg. He lurched left, keeping me at a distance.

"Her real name is Amaterasu. She may be bossy and rude, but she's nice and cares about me," I pressed the attack and batted his Keyblade to one side. I slashed again and caught him in the ribs. Hit number one. I leapt up and angled for his chest.

At the last moment, Chaos Ripper angled his torso to the side and I found myself overextended. He whirled, using his Keyblde to swipe my feet from underneath me. I hit the ground and tried to roll away from him, but he stabbed towards me. I rolled over again, trying to get up, but got whacked in the face. Chaos Ripper then said in a low tone, "Did you ever think she was just using you? Even a child genius like herself needs help once in awhile."

He brought his Kyeblade down and I fumbled backwards, flipping over to my left. My health points were in the red section. "Swap!" I said frantically.

Oblivion appeared in front of me like lightning and took over the battle like the assertive person she was. She blocked the incoming attack, but Chaos Ripper was being relentless. He drove her backwards, breaking through her defense and got her in the stomach. I tried to take in my surroundings, trying to keep out of the way. But Aubade was next to me, giving me a supportive grin. " _Cura,_ " He muttered.

"Thanks, man," I nodded, seeing my health points restored to maximum. But then I noticed there were only 7 remaining Heartless. "Did you guys take out eleven of those things when I was fighting?" I said in shock.

"Yep, but it was mostly Oblivion," Aubade shrugged. The Neoshadows were coming closer towards us. "She was so brutal, I swear she's something else," He added.

The remaining Heartless rushed us and I gave one of them a show of my _Quick Blitz,_ seeing as there was breathing space in the premises. I looked over my shoulder to check on Oblivion, and I could see she wasn't struggling as much as I had. Fuck, I wasted a two good minutes and only hit Chaos Ripper once! Now Oblivion had to pick up my slack. It was nerve-racking to know that we hit the mid-point of our time limit.

Aubade and I went on the same wavelength of cramming as many commands as we could. "Did Oblivion have much health points when she swapped with me?" I asked Aubade, starting on my second Neoshadow.

"Her health bar was still green. She's almost as untouchable as _him,_ " He answered, focusing on his own fight. Now that I thought of it, Oblivion perhaps could have taken on this mission by herself. I checked on her again, and noticed that Chaos Ripper's health bar was down to the yellow section. The doubt that Chaos Ripper tried to give me wouldn't work, I wouldn't give in to something so stupid. But he hadn't used any teleporting, so what gives?

I checked on Oblivion again, and it felt like someone activated _Slowra._ She met Chaos Ripper's attack with a parry and a thrust, and moved right, as quick as her little legs would get her. She was heading to a corner of the room, where a green gear was ticking. I knew what she was going to do, and so did Chaos Ripper. But for once, I disagreed with her idea. "Oblivion, stop!" I rushed to the other side of the room.

Oblivion stabbed the green gear with her Keyblade, and the last 7 Neoshadows splattered around Aubade into munny, items and so on. Chaos Ripper then teleported. When he appeared in front of her, cornering her, he growled, "Yariman! Kutabare! He growled. Chaos Ripper swung his Keyblade at her—

I ran in between them and blocked what was meant to be his final blow. " _Sliding Dash!_ " I hit him square in the chest and his health points went to zero. Instead of his avatar automatically logging out, his body limped to the floor. Was it really over? I held my breath, waiting for him to get back up. His eyes were still open, yet lifeless.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Are you okay?" Oblivion asked. We were still in the Gizmo Shop, standing before the avatar of the virtual reality criminal, Chaos Ripper. Aubade hurried to our side, unscathed and safe.

"I should be asking you the same thing," I said.

"I'm fine. And he won't do anything, he's trapped in this game for however long he gave himself," She answered both of my questions.

"How do you know that?"

"Lots of virtual reality hackers try to do that."

"You've dealt with people like him before?" I asked, confused.

"No, but I've heard of them," Oblivion shook her head, "I try to keep updated about online gaming as much as I can. I'm going to call a game master."

As she held 'Oblivion' in front of her, I placed _Stopra_ on Chaos Ripper. A dark silhouette of a keyhole faded into existence a few meters away from Oblivion, and a string of light beamed from the tip of her Keyblade. The keyhole was just big enough for me to step my foot in. The keyhole gradually expanded into the size of a door. A man stepped out of the keyhole, similar to how villains in Kingdom Hearts travelled through a Corridor to Darkness.

"Why did you call me here?" He asked Oblivion in a New York accent. Like the other game masters, he wore Keyblade armor in the color of dark red. Mickey heads covered his elbow and knee caps. Oblivion pointed to Chaos Ripper. "Haku?" The man looked at our criminal with recognition.

"He's the real criminal, not Tori," Oblivion explained. She told the game master everything, from Haku's suggestion to how he seemingly murdered Pazu Midori. The most difficult thing to explain was why Tori was framed for murder, because none of us had a clue what her relationship was with Chaos Ripper.

"Sir, I know Tori offline and I know that she wouldn't know how to kill someone online," I spoke up when the game master continued refusing to believe us.

Aubade walked up to the game master with 'Chaos Ripper' in his clutches. It took a certain skill to hold a Keyblade that was under someone else's name in the system. His Keyblade didn't have anywhere else to go, except back to its master. In this situation, the Keyblade should have vanished, but it didn't because Chaos Ripper's avatar was frozen, in a way. It's kind of like Harry Potter, where it would be difficult to use someone else's wand the same way you used your own.

"Take a look at the players who have touched this Keyblade," Aubade said to the game master. The game master tapped the Keyblade's keychain, and a pop-up list appeared with names. From what I could see, it showed a player's username and the exact time, date and place of where the player made contact with the weapon.

"It has Midori-sama's username, and the exact time when he was killed," The game master reluctantly nodded, "And this Keyblade definitely belongs to Haku. He's become a nasty piece of work since the last time I met him in a staff meeting."

He then used a distress signal like Oblivion had for him, and two more game masters arrived. The first game master ordered them to take Chaos Ripper away through the door-like keyhole, and turned to us afterwards, "Tomorrow we'll have a ceremony for all three of you for capturing Chaos Ripper. Who wants to have which bounty?"

"I want to level up," Oblivion chirped up.

"I'd like to have money, please," Aubade said.

The American game master then turned to me. "I guess it means I'm left with the Moogle," I shrugged.

"Don't underestimate the Moogle; they're quite powerful," He said slowly. "Be at Cid's Accessory Shop by noon in UTC+9:00, or Japan time."

He said farewell to us and left through the keyhole. "It's over," Aubade sighed. Hopefully players would come back to KHO, and maybe even more newbies would join. It was questionable whether this was a safe place, but it was a fun place.

"So what are you going to do after we get those rewards?" I asked Oblivion.

"Go ahead to Radiant Garden, I guess," She shrugged.

"Alone?" Aubade frowned.

"I don't know yet... I want to visit my uncle every day to make sure he's recovering," Oblivion admitted, "How about you two?"

"Radiant Garden as well," Aubade answered.

They both turned to me at the same time and waited for my answer. I wanted to know more about Oblivion and get to know her, but if she was going to be offline, I didn't have a reason to be on KHO. "I have a bit of unfinished business offline, but I'll catch up to you guys eventually."

"I see," She nodded. And then it hit me. The real criminal was captured, so now we wouldn't need to see his real face. When were they planning to give us back our avatars? Oblivion's purple scarf was starting to annoy me.

"Can I see?" I stepped towards Oblivion, and she didn't back away.

"Yes," She murmured. Oblivion slowly unwrapped her woolen mask, and I realized her scarf was longer than I thought. As her small hands untwisted the veil, her face seemed to radiate. Eventually, I saw a cute little nose an inch lower than her almond-shaped eyes. Her even smaller lips weren't too far below her nose, and then I looked at her smooth, ivory face as a whole. Oblivion was a real life version of Tifa Lockhart.

She had nothing bad to hide! I wanted to tell her that, I really did. But it sounded creepy, and I didn't want her to think I was creepy. I mean, I _was_ creepy, but if she knew what went on inside my mind... I didn't want to think about her reaction. So instead, I gazed at her with a hidden admiration for the drop-dead gorgeous features that belonged to Oblivion.

It took me so much effort to keep a straight face and to stop my jaw from dropping, but I doubt I did a good job of it. Oblivion showing her real face to me was a gift, and I didn't want to ruin the moment by saying something stupid. The gift meant she was comfortable around me, and I appreciated that.

"I thought maybe you might've had a lot of pimples or something," Aubade pulled me out of my staring contest, "My girlfriend is really self-conscious about her ones, even though you can barely see them."

 **Author's note: So this is the end of the Chaos Ripper arc, but not the end of Oathkeeper's story. You could say the rest of the chapters will be fillers, so if you want to wait until I post KHO 2, then you're more than welcome to.**

 **Noctis, you were suggesting that the game system should have a heart. I'll fiddle around with that idea, however I wasn't planning to have Sora or any of the main characters appear in my story.**

 **Lone Wolf, I already have a boss fight lined up if you'd like to continue reading :)**

 **Thank you for your continued support and reviews!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

I was right about one thing. After a well-earned sleep, I logged into Kingdom Hearts Online just before eleven o'clock (it was almost noon in KHO) in the lower half of the First District. With my avatar returned to me, I was a 5'10 guy with short, spiky black hair and deep blue eyes. I wore a plain t-shirt, baggy shorts, a glove on my left hand and a short-sleeved jacket that reached down to my thighs. Every piece of my clothing was black, excepting the red soles on my boots and the skulls for buttons and a zipper.

Then I remembered that Oblivion never knew what my avatar was. I wonder if Oblivion would recognize me? Or more unlikely, would I recognize her?

Players of all sorts surrounded me. Word got out pretty quickly about the capture of Chaos Ripper, and the usernames of the players who captured him. Naturally, they wanted to identify who these people were. I wonder how they would feel knowing that 3 teenagers potentially saved their lives? "Oathkeeper!" Aubade waved to me from the cafe. He and another player rushed over to me, "I thought you were going to be late again."

"Nope," I shook my head. Because of our avatars, our heights were much closer than I would have liked. The other player was a Lightning avatar, with elegant pink hair and the outfit from Dissidia.

"Aren't you going to say hello to me?" She folded her arms and said snappily. Her Japanese-English accent was ever-present.

"Oh sorry. Hi," I said, embarrassed.

"Hello, Horse," She nodded approvingly. Of course it was Oblivion.

Suddenly, a keyhole appeared in front of Cid's Accessory Shop. The three of us took that as a sign to come towards the game masters who were slowly exiting their transportation door. All five game masters looked to be from different regions in the world, including the American one we met yesterday. When they saw us, the American barked, "Make way for our heroes!"

This guy was very much into his role-playing.

A pathway parted for us like the Red Sea, and a gradual applause greeted us as we made it to the front of the Accessory Shop. The game masters lined up along the front of it, in a certain order. The American was in the middle, so I decided to nickname him "Game Master 3". He sort of looked like Vincent Valentine. As the three of us faced the massive crowd, another game master raised his hand for silence, which was immediately granted. I recognized his Cloud Strife avatar from last night, and I dubbed him "Game Master 1".

"Within 4 hours, these three individuals not only found the criminal," He began, "but captured the real one."

A burst of inaudible conversation from the crowd erupted. Judging from their faces, they were confused, and they had every right to be. Game Master 1 raised his hand again, and silence was eventually granted, "We, the Game Masters, originally thought the culprit for Mr. Midori's murder was a player who went by the name of Tori. However, because of Aubade—" He gestured to Aubade, who stood on my right, "—we discovered that the weapon which impaled Mr. Midori belonged to the player named Chaos Ripper. Aubade is not at a high level. He used his wits to bring justice. For those who are curious, Chaos Ripper has been given to the police of his country and will be given a trial in this upcoming week. But without further ado, I present Aubade with ¥46,000,00!"

All the players in the First District applauded happily, to my surprise, as Game Master 1 gave Aubade an exaggerated icon of a Japanese coin. It was as big as a human head! Oblivion and I joined in with the applause. Over the noise, I heard Aubade nod at Game Master 1 and thank him. Game Master 1 told him to give his bank details after the ceremony, and Aubade nodded again.

Aubade then held the coin in front of him like a certificate was presented to him at school assembly. The cheers started to die down when a game master in a Jihl Nabaat avatar stepped away from the game master row. She was the other game master who took Chaos Ripper away. I called her "Game Master 2".

"This young man goes by the username of Oathkeeper," She pointed towards me, speaking in a sexy Russian accent, "Like Aubade, his stats are not top notch. But Oathkeeper made up for that by selflessly aiding his friends, not expecting any thanks in return. The first time this group encountered Chaos Ripper, Oblivion fought him on her own. But when she fought alongside Oathkeeper, they stood a chance against Chaos Ripper. So I would like to personally thank him with a Moogle."

The cheers started up again as Game Master 2 clapped her hands once. A fluffy, cream-colored rodent creature appeared in front of her face, hovering in the air. Judging from its slouched back and mopey look, it seemed tired. Game Master 2 gestured towards me, and the Moogle flew over to my side with duty. Maybe it just didn't like me? I murmured a thank you to Game Master 2, and she winked seductively at me through her glasses. Holy shit.

Game Master 3 stepped forwards this time, and the crowd hushed instantly. Vincent Valentine always gave me the creeps. It would have been ironic if this guy was actually some small, nerdy wimp. "These three players had to fight Chaos Ripper twice in order to defeat him. How many people would have risked that, knowing they could have died? I don't wish to disclose too much information about them, but I'll say that they are young as they are brave."

He then faced Oblivion, "It's hard being a girl in the gaming world, but it's even harder to be a girl in a virtual reality. By the power vested in me, I give Oblivion the almighty power of the golden crown!"

I clapped for Oblivion as a small smile grew on her face. Game Master 3 walked behind her and clicked his fingers over her head. A plain but petite crown appeared on top of Oblivion's head, angled to the right side of her cranium in the same fashion that Sora wore in _Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix._ Standing next to her, I could sense the power surging through Oblivion's veins. And I didn't mean that she had some sort of glow or looked different. I could feel it as much as I could in a virtual reality.

How long would it take me to reach her level? My 18th birthday happened on April the 2nd, and today was April the 9th in the year 2033. I wasn't expecting to be up to level 100 by the end of that year, but if I could get up to the silver crown, I would be happy. What if that was Oblivion's plan all along? She wanted to become a level 100 player so that she wouldn't have to rely on a party to power through the game. Was she just using Aubade and I, or were we her friends?


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

After the ceremony, the three of us had planned to log out, but so many people wanted to come and talk to us that it wasn't an option. A player with a Lulu avatar approached me through the slowly dispersing crowd. Now that the avatars were in the way, I couldn't tell the real ages of players. Lulu herself always gave me the creeps, but this player was smiling at me in a really cheerful way that made Lulu terrifying. "Hey," She chirped. She sounded about my age, "I'm Olympia. Your story really inspired me, and I think it's cool how you've got your own Moogle."

"Uh, thanks," I murmured, "So where are you from? If that's okay to ask?"

"Australia," Olympia said with pride.

"Same here."

"Ooh! We already have something in common," She giggled. I shouldn't have expected Olympia to have a low, seductive voice or a foxy type of personality. Why did players choose avatars that didn't suit their personality? Maybe it was a silly thing to ask. I guess that players most likely went for their favorite characters created by Square Enix. "Well, I'll see you around! Could you maybe add me?"

"Sure."

I accepted her friend request and she took off with a small group by the name of the Aeroga Party. I had a feeling I was going to start turning into a popular player. Not in the league of Lionheart or Ominous Blight, but I was going to be known for being some sort of superhero or something. Another player came up to me, this time with an Elena avatar. "Hello, I'm Starlight, from the Zantetsuken Party," She held out her hand.

Throwing around the Zantetsuken's name showed she was probably one of its newest members, seeing as she was already wearing their armor. Starlight had a strong German accent, and she seemed pretty serious and business-like. It suited her avatar's character, being a member of the Turks and all. "Nice to meet you, I'm Oathkeeper," I shook her hand. I should rehearse how to introduce myself.

"I know who you are," She said curtly, "Could I add you as a friend?"

I accepted another friend request that day and Starlight said farewell. Not long after, a player with a Paddra Nsu-Yeul avatar walked up to me. If pretty girls were always going to talk to me from now on, I could get used to my new reputation. Paddra herself was like an innocent-looking version of Aqua, so how could I deny smiling at this player?

"Hi, gorgeous!" They spoke in an exuberant, manly voice. He reached up to kiss me on the cheek, "In here they call me Divine Rose, but you can call me tonight."

Oh no. No. No. No.

"Uh, thanks," I said for the second time that day. I wasn't homophobic or against the different types of sexuality, seeing as Aubade was bisexual, but this situation was weird and uncomfortable.

"Oh my gosh, you're so shy!" Divine Rose beamed with a rapid pace in his voice, "That makes you even cuter."

As I was about to let him down easy and say I had a girlfriend, I saw someone wrap their arm around my shoulders. "Hi, honey," The voice belonged to a Heartless with a southern drawl. What a wanker.

"Hi, babe," I played along with a forced smile, "How's it going?"

"Good, good," End of Pain nodded, "Who's your friend?"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Divine Rose frowned in embarrassment towards me, "I didn't know you already had a boyfriend. Oh well, I guess we can still be friends. See you around."

He rushed off without another word. I turned to say thank you to End of Pain. But then I realized he still had his arm leeched onto my shoulders, and he winked at me. I wasn't an idiot. "Fuck off, I have a girlfriend," I growled.

"Oh?" End of Pain raised an eyebrow, but his expression snapped to one that showed realization, "Is it Oblivion? No wonder you gave me the death glare when I flirted with her."

"I wasn't _glaring,_ " I said defensively, "... And she's not my girlfriend."

"Anyways, this is Divewing," He ignored me and let go of my shoulders. Did this guy ever stop to smell the roses? End of Pain introduced me to a player with a Zack Fair avatar. Divewing gave me a slight nod, so I returned it with my own. He didn't seem like much of a talker. "We're going to head off to Radiant Garden, so we might run into each other there," End of Pain started to walk off.

"Wait," I muttered. He faced me again with curiosity. It was probably a bad idea; one that would backfire on me. And I didn't trust this guy, he seemed like trouble. But if I didn't ask, I would regret it later, "What do you know about Oblivion?"

"I used to go out with her, so I'm not sure how much I should be telling you—"

I stared at him in disbelief, "What?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 **Author's note: I apologize if I offended anyone in the previous chapter with my new characters. It was not my intention to mock the LGBT community, especially with the character of Divine Rose. End of Pain and Olympia are based off friends of mine who I find interesting people and would make a great contribution to this fanfic. These characters are all quite stereotypical, but I didn't create them purely for comic relief. (Or my attempt at humor) They are all just as important as my terrible trio. Anyways, thank you for bothering to read this. I think I make too many author's notes.**

"Just kidding! I know she won't go out with a guy like me," End of Pain chuckled. I breathed out in relief as he continued, "If I'm being honest, I don't think she's ever had a boyfriend. I've seen her play in 2 other online games besides KHO, and have figured out that her gaming style is pretty boring and predictable. But it's effective."

"Thanks for that, but I mean as in what's she like as a person," I clarified.

"I don't know her any better than you do. She doesn't tell anyone anything," He shrugged, "I think she has trust issues."

Was he getting paid to piss me off?

"... But I could be your wingman?" End of Pain piped up. Was I giving him a death glare?

"That's really nice of you, but I think I can do it on my own," I tried to calm down.

"You mean do _her._ "

Speaking of which, Oblivion walked up to us. She looked a bit nervous about having to talk to so many people. End of Pain was lucky this was neutral territory. "Hey, are you Oathkeeper?" A female voice called out to me. I looked away from End of Pain and saw a player with a Rikku avatar smiling pleasantly at me. There was some sort of posse tailing behind her. Looking at their silver and blue armor, they were probably part of the Zantetsuken Party. "Oh, where are my manners? You probably don't rememba me, I'm Lady Luck," She said in a Boston accent.

"Oh, sorry," I thought back to meeting her yesterday, "I didn't recognize you because of your avatar."

"It's alright, I undastand!" Lady Luck giggled, "Say, where's that accent from? I've never heard of it."

"I'm from Australia."

"Well it sounds wondaful! But I didn't come here to ask for ya autograph," She beamed at me, "I reckon we need a young, strong man like yourself in my Party."

Members from the Zantetsuken standing behind her nodded hastily. Did the circus come to town? I would be lying if I said all the compliments from that day meant nothing to me; I was really flattered. But maybe there was a bigger reason why Oblivion wanted nothing to do with Lady Luck. A male player walked up to Lady Luck with his own party members, "Lady Luck, don't scare the kid."

"I'm not! I'm givin' him a wondaful offa," She pouted playfully. The other player wore a black armor with tinges of red on each limb, and he had a Reno avatar. Holy crap, it was Lionheart! He was leader of the Megaflare Party, as well as one of the best players in the game. Meeting him was like a dream come true.

"He looks mortified to me," He spoke with an English accent, and his party members snickered. Lionheart then snapped his head towards me, and I held my breath, "Do you want to join my party instead?"

"He can't, he's a Light Keyblade Wielder," Oblivion cut in. I almost forgot she was there. Just as Lady Luck and Lionheart were about to speak again, she said, "I doubt Aubade would leave Oathkeeper, and I'm a solo player. We're all Light Keyblade Wielders."

"Then you should join my Party, so you can all stay together," Lady Luck countered.

"Leave them alone, they don't look interested," Lionheart told her. Both party leaders gave up on their chase, and so they left. I looked back at End of Pain and the silent Divewing.

"Gotta go, see ya'll around," End of Pain waved us off and left.

The number of players in the First District had returned to normal, and it looked like any other town. Aubade came over to us, looking like he was trying to flee the fangirls. "You know that Aubade and I weren't a party, right?" I asked Oblivion quietly.

"I know," She nodded, "It would have said the name of your party when I added you."

Time was running out. I didn't have a reason to be here anymore, I wanted to log out. But if I did, I wouldn't know how long it would take until I saw Oblivion again. It could have been weeks, maybe even months if Pazu Midori passed away, and even longer than that seeing as she called herself a solo player. Aubade asked Oblivion, "How does it feel to be the first level 100 player?"

"Strange," She shrugged, "It's like I really want to go out there and fight."

"Have you unlocked any cool abilities?" I asked.

"Not sure, but it will have to wait. I'm going to go visit my uncle," She tapped the air for her menu.

"Wait," I said, "When will you be back?"

"I... Don't know..." Oblivion smiled apologetically, "I will message both of you when I come back. But if you're planning to wait for me, and I haven't logged in for 2 weeks, go urther into the game. I will catch up."

2 weeks felt like forever to me, even if I was going back to school in 2 days time. But I should be more optimistic, after all. It didn't just affect Oblivion, it affected all the players in the game as well as anyone who had been touched by the games of Square Enix. "She'll catch up easily to us," Aubade reassured.

"Can you let go of me?" Oblivion asked quietly as she looked down. I followed her eye line and found that I was holding on to her arm in a fierce grip, and I quickly let go. How long had I been holding on to her?

"I hope that your uncle will turn out alright in the end," I said.

"Same here," Aubade nodded.

"Thank you," Oblivion looked surprised at us. Then she collected herself, "Take care of yourselves."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Back to school for term 2. Hooray.

It was a sunny autumn day. I sat on a bench, waiting for my Mrs to join me for recess. I usually had something to eat at this time, but today I didn't have much appetite. So instead, I rested my lanky arms on the top of the bench. I wore a blue buttoned-up school shirt and navy blue slacks. My shirt was a little ruffled because I've used this amongst 4 other shirts ever since I started high school.

In front of me was the school's courtyard, to my right was the canteen and to my left and behind me were classroom buildings. A group of year 7's were playing four square right before me. The ones who were playing in the squares spoke loudly as they commented on each other's movements, whether they were too big or too small. On the other hand, the kids waiting in line on the side talked quietly to each other and didn't pay much attention to the game. Even when I was in primary school, this game was incredibly popular. I guess some things never change.

"Hey," Tori chirped as she sat next to me, leaning against my shoulder. She didn't notice me stiffen as she started unpacking her lunch, "Do you have something important to tell me?"

I glanced away and spoke softly, "It's over."

She didn't seem to hear me, because she bit into her sandwich in a nonchalant way. "Tori..." I raised my voice a little louder.

"What?"

"You're dumped, it's over," I said simply.

"What. Why?"

"Because you were right. I don't love you, not anymore," I started, "You're not happy with me, and I don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix this when you won't even let me try."

"But, babe..." Tori pouted at me with big puppy eyes, "What about our date tomorrow?"

"You can forget about it," I griped, "My parents always gave me money before I met up with you, and then I started putting all my money I had and asked for more to spend on you. I spent $200 on you last month. I almost gave up my social life and work just to make you happy, but it was never enough for you. Relationships aren't meant to take away from your life, they're meant to add to it."

"But I joined KHO for you, didn't I?"

"And you still said I didn't love you," I snapped, starting to get angry.

"B-but ba—"

"Don't 'babe' me!" I cut her off with an icy tone, "You think I didn't know about Brayden?"

Her face started to turn red, "He's more of a man than you!"

I flinched from that remark, I may not have loved her anymore but that still hurt. I tried not to tear up as I said, "If he's so much of a man, he can have you."

"And," She smirked, "You don't deserve something this good."

"Are you so up yourself that you can't see past your big nose!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, getting the school yard's attention as people started walking over, "All you care about is yourself, I should have trusted Hunter when he told me something was up."

"Oh that weird ass friend of yours! What would he know?" She said, her smile slipping from her face.

"More than you, at least he can keep a long term relationship without cheating! We're done," I said ending the conversation.

"Fine!" She practically sprang off the bench, "Stay the hell away from me, I never want to talk to you again!"

My pleasure. I turned around and walked off, leaving her fuming. I smiled to myself, glad that I didn't have to put up with her anymore. Maybe I could save up enough money to buy myself something nice for once.

After school, I was finishing off the good old 'welcome back' homework on my study desk. I only picked the subjects I was interested in; I didn't really know what I wanted to do after school. I had English, P. E., Food Technology, History (Revolutions) and Legal Studies.

I worked part-time at a warehouse, so maybe I could work my way up to be a manager? I was now old enough to get drafted into state footy, so I had to work really hard this year to get in. It would have been nice to become an AFL player one day, but I wanted to be realistic. I loved sports, I really did, but I wasn't one of those people who thought they were going to be a sports superstar one day and were ignorant of any other options.

I was revising Doli Incapax when my phone rang next to my pencil case. The caller ID said "Mrs", so I let it ring. I pushed through the rest of my legal studies homework as well as history and P. E. I never heard my phone ring so much in my life; it made me want to throw it in the bin. Eventually I grabbed it after she rang the 12th time in that hour, and I turned it off before starting on a practice English essay. I finished at 6 o'clock, right on time for dinner.

I escaped my room and rushed downstairs to meet the scent of chicken adobo and my dog charging up to my shins. My parents came back from their holiday in Hong Kong yesterday, so I expected they were pretty tired. I got a plate from the kitchen and greeted my mum. "How was school today?" She asked.

Normal? Amazing? Crap? I know it was the polite parent thing to ask, but my reply hasn't changed for the past 8 years. "Good," I answered as I handed her my plate. She used a large spoon to give my plate a generous dose of chicken marinated in simmered vinegar, soy sauce and garlic.

In the next few minutes the whole family sat at the dinner table, enjoying Mum's cooking. Dad was in his usual spot at the head of the table, sitting in between Chris and I. He's a tradie, and was talking about a new employee he was bossing around. Everyone said Chris and I looked like him. The three of us had rather rectangular-like faces, short, curly hair and brown skin. But I was tall and gangly while Dad and Chris were short and stocky. And even though Dad and I had your everyday brown irises, Chris inherited Mum's baby blue eyes.

When I was excused from dinner, I went into my room and turned my phone back on. It instantly exploded with notifications of missed calls and messages, which made me sigh with irritation. Every message was from the same sender and said something along the lines of they weren't "mad" at me anymore and that I should "reconsider breaking up" with them.

The next day, the first school bell rang. I got my books from my locker and went to English class. She was there. It took me another two days to realize that Tori and I took the same subjects and all the same classes. News spread out over night about our breakup, almost as fast as the word of KHO's new heroes. All of my boys knew what was going on and backed me up whenever they could, but to say it was awkward was an understatement.

Speaking of KHO, Hunter logged into it each night without me, keeping an eye out for our Japanese friend. With still no sign of her for the next 2 weeks, I focused on school, work and footy training.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 **Author's note: Yay I'm back! I'll try to get back into writing regularly, even though I have exams just around the corner. I've had a few falling outs with some friends, who funnily enough are my inspiration for Oathkeeper and Aubade. Please keep in mind that sometimes it's hard for me to write when I'm reminded so strongly about my old friends. I'll finish off the story like I planned to, as long as someone writes a review every now and then. WARNING: be mindful that this story is rated M for a reason! If you start to feel uncomfortable reading this chapter, wait for the next one to be uploaded. Or if you can't wait, start from the mid-way point of this chapter.**

I kept up to date with all my schoolwork, I did my best at the warehouse and I was preparing for state footy tryouts. I didn't touch any of my game consoles, in case I was tempted to put on the NerveGear. But after 2 weeks of keeping this routine up, I realized something was wrong. I made myself so busy that I didn't have time to stop and think about what was important for a man in his prime. Square Enix couldn't properly continue KHO without Pazu Midori. Without Pazu Midori, I didn't have Oblivion. And without Oblivion, I didn't get hard.

Not being online for the first week made me subconsciously remember vague things about her, like when she saved Aubade and I from the Neoshadows, her weird communication skills and her curt attitude. The second week made me think of her silky hair, her innocent eyes and her cute accent. But now, I could only see her as another girl that I was attracted to. Or more importantly, the _only_ girl I was attracted to.

It was around 11 o'clock at night, and I lied on my bed in the dark. It sucked that I didn't have any photos of Oblivion, so I had to use my imagination to get things started and finished. I always thought that Japanese girls were meant to be short and really thin. No curves or feminine assets. But when I met Oblivion, she changed my point of view. She wouldn't be getting much attention from ass guys, and she didn't have a small waist. But she had an amazing pair of tits, and I was a tits guy. Just the thought of them made me uncomfortable in my jeans.

I wanted to get to know her better, I really did. But she's confused me more than any other girl has because of how she used Aubade and I to put Chaos Ripper behind bars. When she came up with my nickname, I thought of a quote from Monsters Inc. where Mike Wazowski says, "Once you name it, you start getting attached to it."

Was he right? Or was it another lie to make to kids?

If we ever got the chance to meet in real life, and if she would let me, I would slowly feel up her shirt and grope her boobs. As I move them in a sensual, circular motion, she would start moaning for more. Daydreaming about this convinced me to unzip my jeans and free my hard cock. As I began stroking like the horny bastard I was, I could hear Oblivion in my mind whispering, "Colton, please suck on my nipples..."

I would happily oblige, licking one of her pointy nipples and continue to massage her other breast. She would groan a little bit louder, and I would twist one of her nipples hard, making her yelp in excitement. "Ah, yes!"

Then I would suck on that one and massage the breast that I was just sucking on. Oblivion's panting would drive me wild, and I would finish. She would sexily grab her own breasts and put my long shaft in between them. Her innocent eyes would stare up at me as she strokes up and down, licking the tip of my cock every time it came near her pretty face. "Yes babe, don't stop," I said. I didn't know if I was saying that in my mind or if I was saying it in my bed, I couldn't think straight.

Then Oblivion would take her breasts away. She would grab my cock and start sucking it like a lollipop, making me moan. Eventually I would hear slurping sounds from her cute little mouth, with one of her delicate hands massaging my balls. Her blowjob would go turn into deep-throating.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" My hands worked at lightning speed, making me feel like my entire body exploded.

The next day, I was sitting in the middle of class writing notes on the Russian revolution. The whole room was silent excluding scratching noises from pens and pencils against paper. My teacher was one of those strict, old guys who meant business. So if he told us to work in silence, we worked in silence. "Yo, Colton," Hunter hissed from behind me.

"What?" I turned around, aware that Mr. Kilpatrick was starring daggers into my back.

"Last night I saw her beating Roxas in Radiant Garden," Hunter said excitedly, somehow managing to still whisper.

"What?"

"Oblivion's back."

"Are we alright, _gentlemen?_ " Mr. Kilpatrick demanded. Hunter threw his head down and I twisted myself back to my work. But I couldn't think about Emperor Nicholas II. Pazu Midori was alright! And that meant KHO can function properly again.

After finishing my homework that night, I lied down on my bed and placed the NerveGear on my head. Seeing as it was May in Australia, the helmet made me want to take it off. It felt cool around the back of my head, and sent shivers down my spine that only the winter in Melbourne could do. "Link Start!" I said. I rushed through the Dive to the Heart and pushed my way past the set of doors and into the light.

When my eyes adjusted to the Victorian-age scenery, I did a 360 rotation scan in the 1st District. There weren't many familiar faces around, but neither Aubade or Oblivion were in sight. I wasn't late this time, so Aubade had no excuse to ditch me. Unless something happened to Midori? "Are you Oathkeeper?" A player with a Riku avatar pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Uh, yeah," I shrugged.

"Come with me, I'll take you to Aubade and Oblivion," He turned around, heading towards Cid's Shop. His voice sounded much older than someone of Riku's age. Not Xehanort old. He sounded like someone from Japan with articulate vowels, but his English was a little bit better than Oblivion's. The player took me up to the third floor of Cid's store, also known as the Item Workshop run by Moogles.

"Oh crap, there you are!" Aubade rushed up to me when I walked up the stairs, "Sorry, I forgot you were coming tonight."

I shrugged. I felt someone else coming up the stairs behind me. "Midori-sama, domo arigatou gozaimashita," He said to the player next to me.

"No big deal," The player smiled in a content manner, "But there's no need to be so formal. Just call me Pazu."

"Oji! There you are, I was looking for you," A high-pitched voice spoke from behind me. I turned to see a player with a Lightning avatar, and she looked at me, "I see you've met my uncle."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"You're Pazu Midori?" I stared at the player with a Riku avatar.

"Yes I am," He nodded.

"We should get to Radiant Garden," Oblivion started to pull on my arm, "You need to clear it before moving onto Wonderland."

"Hold up, I haven't finished," Midori pulled me the other way. Oh, I was being in a tug-of-war between a Japanese gaming family. Goodbye normality.

"You've met Oathkeeper, what else could you want?" Oblivion whinged.

"Well... I was able to talk to Aubade for a little bit. Can I at least congratulate him before you drag him into more trouble?"

"You know that wasn't my fault..." She let go of me and crossed her arms, pouting. Midori also released me and smiled.

"Thank you for protecting my niece, she always seems to be putting herself in danger when it comes to online gaming," He said, and I sensed Oblivion scowling, "She's talked a lot about you. You're quite the catch, as they say."

Oblivion spun around to face the wall. "Oh... That's okay, but I guess she's good at looking after herself. She's better at games than me," I said nervously. My parents tried to make me polite, but I didn't know the right etiquette for Japanese people.

Midori's eyes lit up and he tapped two fingers in the air, "Ah... Te wo yaku, I am having difficulty."

"Many players have been deleting their accounts because of Chaos Ripper," Oblivion explained, "Square is getting bankrupt, and Oji keeps getting messages for every 10 players who log out."

"That sucks," Aubade muttered.

"Indeed," Midori nodded, "and the worst part is that neither myself nor my team know how to fix it."

"Why are you going bankrupt? Does it matter how many players you have?" I asked. Oblivion grunted in annoyance.

"Hey, not everyone knows how an online game works!" Midori scolded her and turned to me, "It's important because the only way we have made money is through web traffic."

I gave him an uncertain look. "Basically Square relies on how many players are logged on at the one time, and how long they're logged on for," Aubade explained.

"Ah, I get it," I nodded, "How about updating the game? You know, adding new features into it."

"That would only work if there are any players left," Oblivion muttered, and I looked at her. I noticed she was coming up with her own suggestion. She was cranky despite having her uncle back. Or maybe she was always like that, and I was distracted by everything else about her. Then Oblivion said, "Not only should you update the game — you can put in-game purchases. In other online games, players sell items through the black market with online auctions. Seeing as KHO is the latest RPG online game, there's a big chance there are some things on the black market, too. Find them and see which items are the most popular products. I can show you, if you'd like?"

Whoa. Was this what End of Pain was talking about?

 _"I don't know her any better than you do. She doesn't tell anyone anything."_

Where did all that information come from? "That...might actually work," Aubade nodded.

"Not only would it work, it brings out the dedicated players. That means I can keep an eye out for them, and it could save Square," Midori gasped, and he went to shake Oblivion's hand, "Sugisarishi Omoide, thank you! When can I see this black market?"

"I think we should get going to Radiant Garden," Oblivion pulled away from him.

"Oh."

"I'll talk to you when we finish, bai bai," She shrugged, and walked down the stairs.

"Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu," Aubade bowed his back towards Midori before following her.

"Uh, see you later. Thank you for the talk, it was nice meeting you," I said to Midori before leaving.

"I've been getting EXP in Radiant Garden ever since you left," Aubade told me as we descended to the second floor.

"How did you get guys there?" I asked.

"Gummi Ship."

Oh... I guess I _did_ tell him to make a Gummi Ship. We got out of the shop and into the quiet hum of the Traverse Town theme song. "Check this out," Oblivion told us. She tapped her right shoulder. What I didn't see before was some sort of shoulder pad, like what Terra, Aqua and Ventus have. From history class, we called it a pauldron. It's a piece of plate armor that straps on to the shoulder and upper arm.

In flash of purple, Oblivion was heavily clad in a bulky armor suit that fit her like a second skin. A majority of her armor was grey, but places like her lower arms, knees and the front of her torso (and of course breasts) were highlighted in shades of black and purple. The color scheme and pattern reminded me of the 'Oblivion' Keyblade. "Wow, that's so cool," I beamed, "Where did you get it?"

"It's one of the features I can get for being level 100," Her voice was muffled by her helmet. I forgot about her leveling up. She can do anything she wants now.

"Is there anything else you got?" I asked. Oblivion summoned her Keyblade and swung it up into the air. As it landed, it folded and unfolded itself as if it were a Transformer. It stopped an inch away from the ground and hovered next to her. It was some sort of animal... A fox? "A Keyblade Glider," I felt a bit stupid for asking the question. Of course she would have one if she had armor.

"So I'm guessing we're taking the Gummi Ship?" I turned to Aubade. He nodded and summoned 'Way to the Dawn'. He slammed the head of the Keyblade onto the cobblestones below him, and a flying jet zoomed to a stop in front of us.

"Her name is Intrepid," Aubade gestured proudly to his Gummi Ship.

"It sounds like a caterpillar breed," Oblivion commented.

"She's a donut ship mostly made up of Material-Gummis, Impact-Gummis and Shield-Gummis," Aubade ignored her, "What do you think?"

I was usually the type to open my mouth before having anything to say, but this time I was taken aback. He never asked for my opinion. And in this case, why would he need to? I was too weak to play KHO with Oblivion gone, so it made sense that I had no right to contribute in creating a Gummi Ship — even if I didn't want to. "It might be a bit slow, but it's obviously lasted long enough to make it into Radiant Garden," I answered.

"My intention exactly."


End file.
